Polyclonal antibodies against Verticillium dahliae Kleb from oil-seed rape via immunized hens

Polyclonal antibodies (PAb) against Verticillium dahliae were obtained via immunization of hens with water-soluble proteins of a fungal isolate from oilseed rape and subsequent extraction of egg yolks. The biotinylated PAb proved to be quite efficient in a double antibody sandwich (DAS-) ELISA with a strepravidin-horseradish peroxidase assay. In a dilution of the PAb of 1 : 1000, no cross-reaction with proteins from other fungal pathogens occurred. With a dilution of 1 : 4000, a high specificity towards strains of V. dahliae from oilseed rape was observed. Isolates of V. dahliae from other host plants reacted at the most only weakly, while isolates of V. albo-atrum, V. agaricinum, V. cinnabarinum and V. lecanii exhibited no reaction above the threshold.